The Female Ninja
by Mukil
Summary: Naruto is a female nija from the Leaf, with one dream, to prove that she isn't a weakling just because she's a girl! And within her, the dream to become Hokage! Can she do it? And what does Sasuke mean to her?


_Hey guys, this is my story about Naruto as a girl. I think she looks good (probably better than Sakura). Even her personality has changed a bit- but the annoying determination and never- give up attitude is still there. After all, what is Naruto if not annoying? _:)

Naruto knew that backing out of this fight would only result in the loss of her reputation. Holding both her kunais in hand, she edged closer to Sakura. Her eyes caught the green eyes of Sakura Haruno as the both prepared for the fight. Iruka Sensei's hand, quicker than lightning struck the air between them.

"BEGIN!"

The customary salute was essential and had been enacted before. Right now, the fight was all the mattered. Fast as a flash of light, the two would- be kunoichis launched themselves at each other. Sakura's bare- handed fist came down on Naruto, but Naruto caught the fist with _her _bare- handed fist and with her kunai held Sakura at bay.

Naruto let go of Sakura's fist because she knew that keeping Sakura at close range could be dangerous. Sakura retreated and breathed heavily. Her stamina was comparitively lower than Naruto's and she knew it. Therefore after every attack, she retreated and regained her strength.

Naruto even let her do it. If she didn't, Sakura would lose so easily, it wouldn't have been called a fight. Numerous shouts and chantings were going on around them. Several academy members cheering for their favourite kunoichi. The glum and silent Sasuke was as usual- glum and silent.

Iruka watched with interest. Naruto knew this battle would be hers. The satisfaction welled up within her heart. She wasn't even making an effort. _What kind of a weakling was Sakura? _wondered Naruto.

Sakura came in for her second attack. Not wishing to prolong the fight, Naruto saw the opening and took it. A straight punch in the stomach. The punch sent her backwards flailing like an infant.

_I probably hit her too hard, _thought Naruto. As Sakura got up, Naruto didn't give her the chance to rest; he simply punched her a second time and as she lay sprawled on the floor, she sat atop Sakura, holding the kunai to her throat.

"Give up," Naruto said. And give up, she did. Iruka sensei had a weird smile on his lips. Naruto's hard- work and extra training had paid off! She had become the strongest kunoichi in the Aacademy! A week ago, Naruto had beaten Ino. Ino's mind- transfer technique which was feared by all the Academy kids was too slow to catch Naruto. In two seconds, she had covered the distance between both of them and had held her on the floor with the kunai on the throat.

Iruka sensei congratulated both Naruto and Sakura and made them hold hands as a way of saying that despite the fight, their friendship was still as strong as ever. Naruto winked at Sakura and Sakura gave her a glare.

_I'll beat you next time._

Naruto nearly laughed aloud. Angry Sakura was always funny Sakura.

That afternoon, Naruto sat on the bench opposite the Academy. Her mouth was filled with the ramen from Ichiraku Ramen, run by her best friend Ayame and her father- Teuchi. They always gave her a discount as she was a regular customer and that reduced the amount she had to pay from the meagre budget the Hokage was to give her as she had no parents, until she could earn herself.

Suddenly she sensed someone sit next to her. She turned and saw the ever popular, glittering Sasuke sit next to her somewhat akwardly. She wondered if Sasuke had ever smiled in his lustrous career as a grumpy dwarf. However, he was kind of good- looking and handsome.

"Uh..." he began, akwardly.

"Hi Sasuke!" Naruto said hoping to make things easy for him. If Sakura saw this, she would be fuming like a sweet- lover who just ate some chilli.

"Uh... hey. I just thought, could I have some ramen?"

_Seriously? You come here as if the world is about to explode and you ask me for ramen? _Naruto assented anyways and let him taste it. His eyes grew wide as he tried to take in the heat and he started fanning his mouth. Naruto was in hysterics and didn't even hear Sauke beg her for water.

The Academy exams were approaching and Sakura as usual was hugging the books close to her chest and kissing them before sleep.

"It's for good luck you know," she explained in a serious tone causing Naruto, Ino, Tenten and Hinata to laugh all out. They sprawled on the floor and laughed even more when they saw Sakura blushing.

A few days later, all was set and the papers were ready. Each student sat in his respective table and wrote the test. After this would be the taijutsu and then ninjutsu tests. Female ninjas had their own Kunoichi tests. It was filled with boring lectures from the old lady who taught them and questions from _Where to keep 'em? A beginners guide to flower arranging. _

The written test was pretty easy. It seemed to Naruto that the Council had decided to go easy on their students this year. Last year, the Academy students had complained that the curriculum was hard and they had been thrown out from the school.

In the taijutsu sparring exam, Sakura and Rock Lee had a go. _What a match. The King of Taijutsu gets his crush to fight against._

Rock Lee went easy on Sakura, but Taijutsu wasn't exactly her forte and she went down quicker than expected, dissapointing her fanboys.

Might Gai yelled at the top of his voice:

"Naruto- Sasuke!"

_WHAAAAAAAATTTTTTT? No ways! _Thought Naruto. Top of the class, self- confident and super- strong, Sasuke was a genius prodigy. It would be super- hard, if not impossible to beat the survivor of the Uchiha massacre.

Suddenly, deep down in her gut, she felt anger. Why? Why was it that Uchihas were feared? Was it because they were born with special, god given powers? Were girls like her always supposed to be weaker than males? Was this the cycle of life? Were females always inferior to males?

_No, _said a voice, _believe in yourself, he might be Uchiha, but your stamina and chakra reserves are way higher than his._

Naruto smirked as she did the customary salute and began the battle. Her self- confidence was at stake here. She had to win no matter what! She had to prove that kunoichis were not just shinobis with a fancy name, they were shinobis who earned the headgear through hardwork and determination. Some handsome guy with smile to dazzle wasn't going to take away her dream of becoming the first female Hokage!

Both kunais clashed in the evening sun and the two shinobis battling rounded each other determined to find a weakness.

"Great Fireball Technique!" Naruto couldn't believe it. This guy had learnt such a high level technique before even graduating?

"Excuse me! By the spring of youth, I forbid you from using ninjutsu!" Yelled Gai.

Uttering a humph of annoyance, Sasuke attacked. The girls around Naruto were swooning and the guys were no better. Coolness was Sasuke's attribute and the crowd revelled in it. Sasuke's kunai grazed her arm,but Naruto knew this would happen and she let it. As Sasuke's arm passed by hers, she caught and twisted it, making Sasuke land on the dojo floor with a thump.

Naruto knelt and placed a kunai on Sasuke's neck.

"It's over love," said Naruto mockingly.

"No it's not," said Sasuke, smiling. Naruto felt all warm and fuzzy inside and suddenly Sasuke was the one holding the kunai.

_Damn it, I let my guard down and now he won the match! All that frickin' cozy smiles- Damn! _

"I win- love..." said Sasuke mocking her.

"And the winner is Naruto!" Yelled Gai in all his youth splendor, surprising everybody.

"WHAAAATTTT? My dear, er, friend Sauke won- rrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiigggggggggghhhhhhhttttt?" Asked Sakura. Everyone was surprised. More than surprised were some girls like Sakura and Ino who were visibly fuming.

"Sasuke used what one might call, charms, but in a real shinobi battle, Naruto would have killed him before his charms would work. The match was over the moment Naruto put the kunai on Sauke's neck!" Aand Gai smiled, his bright white teeth nearly blinding the crowd.

After rest of the battles were over, Gai called me aside.

"Listen, I know he looks good. So do many other shinobi. In a battlefield, if you're going to waver like this-"

"I'm sorry sesei, it was my weakness, I will correct it," I said.

Later that day, as I walked down the streets of Konoha, I felt a touch on my shoulder. I turned and saw the genius himself.

"Uh..." he began.

"Do you always began conversations akwardly?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry for messing with your feelings back there-"

"That wasn't your fault, it was mine. I gave in to my weakness, never again is it going to happen."

"Oh I'm glad to hear that." Not that he showed it. It seemed that he was sad that his powers wouldn't work anymore. His ninjutsu skill was exeptionally good, but, in close ranges, time taken to weave hand seals could be the time that decided whether you live or die. In that case, she had proved she was better than him.

"Anyways, do you know where..." he akwardly read off the name of a restaurant from a piece of paper, " Ichiraku Ramen is?"

Naruto started. "You don't know where Ichiraku's is?" The most prominent restaurant, beloved of many Konoha citizens, it was a household name.

"Just take a right from here and at Izoku's lane..."

That evening, Naruto returned home tired. The empty home was a constant reminder of the fact that her parents: Jirozu and his wife Akyuma were not there to celebrate the fact that she was about to pass. The ninjutsu test would be easy. Everyone could score maximum in it and her Shadow Clone and Substitution techniques were close to perfection.

That night, Naruto wept. She didn't want to be a crybaby about it. A strong kunoichi wept within her heart, never outside. Her eyes were only to see, never to weep. But she couldn't help it. It came on its own.

"Mom, dad, why aren't you there..."


End file.
